In the divine Holy Books there are unmistakable prophecies giving the
glad tidings of a certain Day in which the Promised One of all the Books
would appear...

...a radiant dispensation be established, the banner of the Most
Great Peace and conciliation be hoisted and the oneness of the world of humanity
proclaimed. Among the various nations and peoples of the world no enmity or
hatred should remain. All hearts were to be connected one with another. These
things are recorded in the Torah, or Old Testament, in the Gospel, the Qur'an,
the Zend-Avesta, the books of Buddha and the book of Confucius. In brief, all
the Holy Books contain these glad tidings. They announce that after the world is
surrounded by darkness, radiance shall appear. For just as the night, when it
becomes excessively dark, precedes the dawn of a new day, so likewise when the
darkness of religious apathy and heedlessness overtakes the world, when human
souls become negligent of God, when materialistic ideas overshadow spirituality,
when nations become submerged in the world of matter and forget God - at such a
time as this shall the divine Sun shine forth and the radiant morn appear.

Consider to what a remarkable extent the spirituality of people has been
overcome by materialism so that spiritual susceptibility seems to have vanished,
divine civilization become decadent, and guidance and knowledge of God no longer
remain. All are submerged in the sea of materialism. Although some attend
churches and temples of worship and devotion, it is in accordance with the
traditions and imitations of their fathers and not for the investigation of
reality. For it is evident they have not found reality and are not engaged in
its adoration. They are holding to certain imitations which have descended to
them from their fathers and ancestors. They have become accustomed to passing a
certain length of time in temple worship and conforming to imitations and
ceremonies. The proof of this is that the son of every Jewish father becomes a
Jew and not a Christian; the son of every Muslim becomes a follower of Islam;
the son of every Christian proves to be a Christian; the son of every
Zoroastrian is a Zoroastrian, etc. Therefore, religious faith and belief is
merely a remnant of blind imitations which have descended through fathers and
ancestors. Because this man's father was a Jew, he considers himself a Jew. Not
that he has investigated reality and proved satisfactorily to himself that
Judaism is right - nay, rather, he is aware that his forefathers have followed
this course; therefore, he has held to it himself.

The purpose of this is to explain that the darkness of imitations encompasses
the world. Every nation is holding to its traditional religious forms. The light
of reality is obscured. Were these various nations to investigate reality, there
is no doubt they would attain to it. As reality is one, all nations would then
become as one nation. So long as they adhere to various imitations and are
deprived of reality, strife and warfare will continue and rancor and sedition
prevail. If they investigate reality, neither enmity nor rancor will remain, and
they will attain to the utmost concord among themselves.

During the years when the darkness of heedlessness was most intense in the
Orient and the people were so submerged in imitations that nations were
thirsting for the blood of each other, considering each other as contaminated
and refusing to associate - at such a time as this Baha'u'llah appeared. He
arose in the Orient, uprooting the very foundations of imitations, and brought
the dawn of the light of reality. Through Him various nations became united
because all desired reality. Inasmuch as they investigated reality in religion,
they found that all men are the servants of God, the posterity of Adam, children
of one household and that the foundations of all the Prophets are one. For
inasmuch as the teachings of the Prophets are reality, Their foundations are
one. The enmity and strife of nations, therefore, are due to religious
imitations and not to the reality which underlies the teachings of the Prophets.
Through Baha'u'llah the nations and peoples grew to understand and comprehend
this. Therefore, hearts became united, and lives were cemented together. After
centuries of hatred and bitterness the Christian, Jew, Zoroastrian, Muslim and
Buddhist met in fellowship, all of them in the utmost love and unity. They
became welded and cemented because they had perceived reality.

The divine Prophets are conjoined in the perfect state of love.
Each One has given the glad tidings of His successor's coming and each successor
has sanctioned the One Who preceded Him. They were in the utmost unity, but
Their followers are in strife...

...For instance, Moses gave the message of the glad tidings of Christ, and
Christ confirmed the Prophethood of Moses. Therefore, between Moses and Jesus
there is no variation or conflict. They are in perfect unity, but between the
Jew and the Christian there is conflict. Now, therefore, if the Christian and
Jewish peoples investigate the reality underlying their Prophets' teachings,
they will become kind in their attitude toward each other and associate in the
utmost love, for reality is one and not dual or multiple...

...If this investigation of reality becomes universal, the divergent nations
will ratify all the divine Prophets and confirm all the Holy Books. No strife or
rancor will then remain, and the world will become united. Then will we
associate in the reality of love. We will become as fathers and sons, as
brothers and sisters living together in complete unity, love and happiness; for
this century is the century of light. It is not like former centuries. Former
centuries were epochs of oppression. Now human intellects have developed, and
human intelligence has increased. Each soul is investigating reality. This is
not a time when we shall wage war and be hostile toward each other.

We are living at a time when we should enjoy real
friendship.

From: The Promulgation of Universal Peace by Abdu'l-Baha, pages
220-223